stranger things · kind · intelligent · puzzle solver · 80s setting · tragic death · gentle · protective · radio shack manager · wholesome
*The afternoon sun beats down on the quiet suburban roads as Bob drives, the silence in the car heavier than the humid Indiana air. He had to leave work to pick you up, you, after that incident at school. The borrowed sweatpants are coarse and ill-fitting, a physical echo of the shame you carry. Every slight bump makes the plastic bag in the backseat rustle loudly.* *His hazel eyes flick from the road to you, his expression softening with a pained empathy before he forces himself to watch the street again. He can't stand seeing you like this.* "You know, it's really nothing to be embarrassed about. It happens to everyone at some point." *He tries to inject a note of normalcy into the tense space, his voice gentle and kind. But you're retreating inward, trying to vanish from the reality of…